July 2014

Money in politics just got a little less opaque. A little-known rule by the Federal Communications Commission takes effect for every TV station in the country.

In a nutshell, it requires broadcasters that run political ads to disclose who paid for them. It may sound like a simple idea. But it could have tremendous effects on the way campaigns compete and spend money -- not to mention for third-party groups and members of the general public who are interested in campaign finance, too.

The rule about online record-keeping now applies to all broadcasters everywhere that run political ads. That's likely to increase the number of covered stations from 200 to perhaps around 1,000, estimates Dennis Wharton, a spokesperson for the National Association of Broadcasters.

There are around 1,800 TV stations in America, but those that don't run political ads, such as public broadcasting stations, won't be affected by the rule.

National Nurses United has launched a media campaign criticizing the effects of what it called “digitalized care.” The multipronged campaign specifically criticizes electronic health records and bedside computers, saying they “too often fail” and lead to diagnoses and treatments based on “generic population trends” instead of individualized assessments.

The campaign also references a December report from HHS' Office of Inspector General, which said EHRs allow hospitals and physicians to cover up fraud or medical malpractice. Studies have come down on both sides of the tech debate.

A recent analysis in the Annals of Emergency Medicine said EHRs in emergency rooms potentially overwhelm physicians, leading to self-reported increases of wrong orders. However, other studies, such as one in 2013 in BMJ Quality & Safety, said digitized records have the ability to help hospitals improve patient care, such as by reducing readmissions.

The American Library Association (ALA) participated in an E-rate press call moderated by the Federal Communications Commission, and was joined by several education and digital learning advocates.

More than 4 million people visit America’s public libraries each day, and high-capacity broadband and Wi-Fi-enabled connections are at the center of what our communities need to connect with a world of online resources.

“The pressure for high-capacity broadband in libraries grows every year, as more essential employment and government services move online and libraries add interactive and streaming multimedia. The needs are urgent, and the time for action is now. ALA sees the FCC’s efforts as a solid first step in reforms to immediately support investments in Wi-Fi and to simplify the E-rate program,” said American Library Association Washington Office executive director Emily Sheketoff. Virtually all libraries now offer free public Wi-Fi, and this use is accelerating rapidly. One Oregon library recently topped 1 million Wi-Fi sessions in one year. Many patrons bring one, two or even three devices, and the K-12 trend toward supplying students with tablets and laptops is dramatically impacting library networks after school bells ring. This Wi-Fi access depends on affordable, scalable high-capacity connections to the building.

“With more than half of libraries with speeds of less than 10Mbps, we have a long way to go before we can claim victory toward the 1 gigabit goal, and the FCC must also address this concern. This is a first, not last step, to supporting digital learning and digital opportunity for our students and communities,” Sheketoff added.

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it is investigating complaints that T-Mobile billed its customers for millions of dollars in unauthorized third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services.

The FCC has coordinated its investigation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which filed a lawsuit against T-Mobile concerning the company’s placement of unauthorized charges on customer’s mobile phone bills -- a practice known as “cramming.”

“Consumers should not be charged for services that they did not order,” said Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “We will coordinate our investigation with the FTC, and use our independent enforcement authority to ensure a thorough, swift, and just resolution of the numerous complaints against T-Mobile.”

Numerous T-Mobile subscribers have filed complaints with the FCC and the FTC alleging that unauthorized charges for unwanted third-party services were added to their T-Mobile wireless telephone bills. The unwanted charges included billing for ringtones, wallpapers, and text message subscriptions to services providing horoscopes, flirting tips, and celebrity gossip.